‘Basmati — future of farmers’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 28
A farmers’ meeting for promoting the cultivation of basmati rice was held at the farm of progressive farmer Jagjit Singh Hara at Kanganwal village yesterday. The event was a sequel to a memorandum of understanding signed by the government with the Escorts.

As many as 200 growers, including representatives of Grain Tech India, Maple Biosys and farmers representatives participated in the meeting.

Padamshree Jagjit Singh Hara, a specialist on basmati cultivation, urged the farmers to adopt basmati growing and avail themselves of the offer on contract basis by Escorts and other agencies

He emphasised that basmati was the future of the Indian farmers as no other country can grow such basmati in the absence of climatic advantages that exist in Punjab.

He reiterated that if India could make its presence felt in the field of basmati , a lot of foreign exchange could be earned.

Mr K.S.Sangha, Deputy Registrar, Cooperatives, Ludhiana, requested the growers to whole-heartedly support this project as this was an opening for future projects on wheat and other crops also. He offered all support of his department and institutions in this venture.

MrS.S.Kooner, Managing Director, Maple Biosys Ltd, assured the farmers of all extension services. He said coordination would be maintained between the production and marketing.

Mr M.B.S.Sandhu, Executive Director, Grain tech India, explained the procurement price of basmati and the services offered by Graintech India,for other crops like wheat procurement and vegetables. He offered to help the farmers in new expert ventures of agro produce.

Farmers’ representatives ,including Mr Joginder Singh, Sarpanch of Kaonke Kalan village, voiced the concerns of farmers in this new venture which involves the growing of crops on contract basis. Their queries were replied by speakers to their satisfaction.

Representatives of various cooperative service societies and vegetable marketing societies who participated in the meeting expressed their keenness to undertake the sowing of basmati.

They demanded that more facilities should be provided by the government and institutions related to agriculture and marketing to help the growers who are trying to group together by farming societies. This would enable them to march ahead on their own.

Different speakers stressed the need for bringing down the cost of production and improving the quality of produce to meet the challenge of marketing in the coming days. Examples of collective cooperative effort through existing cooperative societies in this regard in the district were given.

Others who participated include Mr K. S. Sangha, Director, Mr B. S. Sandhu, Executive Director, Grain Tech, and Mr S.S. Kooner, Managing Director, Maple Biosys

There was a lot of enthusiasm among the growers who wanted to bring maximum area under basmati cultivation. 

Rally by PAU NSS volunteers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 28
A large number of NSS volunteers from the Colleges of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Home Science of Punjab Agricultural University took out a rally today under the leadership of Dr K.S. Verma, programme coordinator, NSS, PAU, assisted by programme officers, Dr Rajinder Kaur Kalra, Dr Harmeet Singh Saraich, Mr Kulwinder Singh and Ms Davinder Kaur.

The volunteers marched through the hostels, PAU road, Ghumar Mandi market, Government College for Boys road and Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar. They were carrying banners and placards highlighting the ill effects of drugs and intoxicants like alcohol, tobacco, gutkha etc.

The volunteers advised the addicts, especially the youth, to shun the use of such obnoxious substances. The rally also aimed at creating awareness among the people regarding AIDS and SARS. A large number of hand bills carrying effective slogans against the use of drugs and intoxicants were pasted by them on electric poles, autorickshaws and boundary walls, especially near chemist shops, wine shops and hostels.

Earlier, on April 26, the volunteers had uprooted parthenium (gajar booti) on the PAU Campus. They educated the people to ensure complete uprooting of this grass from their localities which was known to contain certain alkaloids causing skin allergies and respiratory problems.

The weed has now started blooming and this is the most appropriate time for its eradication before the seeds mature. The PAU unit plans more such camps on the campus as well as in the adopted villages and slum areas and urges the NSS units existing in different colleges and schools of Ludhiana city to come forward to launch a campaign for complete eradication of this weed in their respective localities.

Teacher to attend national workshop
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 28
Mr Sohan Singh, a science teacher at Ramgarhia Senior Secondary School, Millerganj, has been selected for a national workshop on “Environmental education in school system” to be organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, in Ahmedabad from May 6 to 8.

He has been invited to present his ideas on syllabus and other practical aspects of a course to be introduced in select schools with financial support from the ministry. He has been chosen by the Bharat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha, an NGO, on the basis of his participation in various science exhibitions and seminars held at state, national and international level. Mr Sohan Singh is also the winner of the Best Teacher Award by the Punjab Government in the 1999.

Most recorded Punjabi pop singer
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 28
The UK-based Alaap Musical Group completes 25 eventful years this year during which these Punjabi pop pioneers crested new heights and have now entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful Asian band worldwide with founder and lead singer Channi Singh, the most recorded Punjabi pop artiste ever.

Channi was in his home town —Ludhiana — to care for his ailing father who died a few days ago. Moved by the tragic loss, the dynamic performer nevertheless spared some time to talk to The Tribune about his music, its future and the love that he has received worldwide cutting across the barriers of caste, creed and language.

The bespectacled performer said: “Ever since I can remember I wanted to sing and it all began when I learned to play the harmonium and the tabla in the gurdwara in my maternal village of Salar, near Malerkotla. After that I used to sing at every available opportunity and at that time it did not matter whether it was shabads or film songs.”

“ The passion kept me going during my early years resulting in my being adjudged as best male dancer and singer while doing my graduation from Government College, Malerkotla, and my postgraduation in English from DAV College, Jalandhar, in 1974. I was captain of the bhangra team and also represented Punjabi University in the 52-kg wrestling category at the same time.”

Channi got married to UK NRI Dhanwant Kaur in 1975 and joined her the next year. “ There has been no looking back and she is my inspiration. But for her unstinting support all along, this success would not have been possible,” he says fondly.

“ Within a year of my arrival, I along with my friends — Harjit Singh and Randhir Singh — formed the band in 1978 and we have been together ever since. The band now consists of 10 artistes and we are busy round the year doing concerts and occasional wedding parties. Altogether we have released 17 cassettes out of which four are remixes of our previous numbers and they have done well,” he said. Channi recalled that in those days there were a lot of prejudices which are not experienced by the bands nowadays. It was a long hard trek and they were the first Punjabi pop band to perform at prestigious venues like Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, Empire Ball Room besides others.

On the future of Punjabi pop, he said though he lived in the UK where there was a lot of permissiveness in the society, yet he finds the suggestiveness and vulgarity in music videos offensive and alien to our culture. “ The songs have no originality, no Punjabiat and even the tunes are straight lifts of Western numbers. The secret of remaining in the reckoning is to stay tuned to your roots and not take short cuts by resorting to risque videos,” he emphasised.

The couple has a daughter, Mona, a banker by profession, but has followed in the footsteps of her father and has recorded a couple of Punjabi cassettes.

His future projects include recording eight songs for an untitled project with Amitabh Bachchan, a film with David Dhawan, besides other projects which are under negotiation. The music of ‘Jannasheen’ starring Fardeen Khan has been completed and is due for release soon as is ‘Teri Mohabbat Ke Naam’.